T

he security condition in Raba, Bima regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) returned to normal on Friday after a raging mob set fire to the regent’s office and local election offices, but police and military personnel were still securing a number of vital facilities in Bima to prevent any further incidents.

“The situation is gradually becoming conducive, but a number of points are still being secured,” NTB Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukarman Husen told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Sukarman said that since the crowd had forced the release of 53 detainees, involved in the Sape Port case, from the Bima penitentiary at around 6 p.m. local time on Thursday, its presence at rally points had gradually dispersed.

The violent protest was reportedly a reaction to the slow response on the part of the local administration to the call for an end to PT Sumber Mineral Nusantara’s (SMN) gold mining operation in the Lambe, Sape and Langgudu districts. PT SMN is one of more than 20 mining companies in operation in Bima.

However, the Bima regent recently revoked the mining permit his administration granted under Decree No. 188/2010, which was strongly opposed by local residents for fear of its potential environmental damage, according to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik on Thursday.

In regards to the riot, Sukarman said the razed Bima regent office sustained 85 percent damage, while the Bima regency general election office suffered up to 95 percent damage.

“The cost of the physical damage from the incident is estimated at up to Rp 7 billion (about US$820,000),” he said.

From Friday morning, public services at the Bima regency administration were temporarily shifted to the Bima Labor Training Center (BLK).

Sukarman said around 840 police and military personnel were currently securing a number of locations, such as the two razed buildings, BLK, the Bima regent’s official residence, regency administration offices and shopping centers, including gas stations believed to be owned by Bima Regent Ferry Zulkarnaen.

“For further measures, police will remain to uphold the law in relation to destroying state property. However, we are currently conducting investigations, because yesterday’s incident involved a huge crowd,”
he said.

Based on police data, he added, the riot on Thursday involved more than 7,000 people affiliated with the People’s Anti-mining Front (FRAT) from the three districts of Sape, Lambu and Langgudu.

They arrived at the regency administrative office on 52 trucks, 125 pickup trucks and more than 500 motorcycles.

“In the chaos, four police personnel were injured by rocks, including the Bima Police chief,” said Sukarman.

As reported earlier on Thursday, thousands of residents from the three districts were at one point blocked by the authorities as they were about to occupy the regency office, but the former were outnumbered.

Tensions spilled over at around 2:30 p.m., when protesters demanded that Ferry revoke the decree and release 50 residents who were detained in relation to the Sape Port incident.

The enraged crowd then tore down the regency office fence and forced its way in. Police and public order personnel, who were securing the office, found that they were outnumbered.